Geothermal & Solar Energy Books

Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius

Gavin D J Harper

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

FOLLOW THE SUN TO MORE EVIL FUN!

Let the sun shine on your evil side - and have a wicked amount of fun on your way to becoming a solar energy master! In this guide, the popular Evil Genius format ramps up your understanding of powerful, important, and environmentally friendly solar energy - and shows you how to build real, practical solar energy projects you can use in your home, yard - even on the road!

In Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius, high-tech guru Gavin Harper gives you everything you need to build more than 50 thrilling solar energy projects. You'll find complete, easy-to-follow plans, with clear diagrams and schematics, so you know exactly what's involved before you begin.

• Illustrated instructions and plans for 30 amazing pretested solar energy projects that assume no prior experience with energy science
• Explanations of the science and math behind each project
• Projects that progress in difficulty - from simple ones that may inspire science fair entries - all the way to converting a real home to solar energy
• Frustration-factor removal-needed parts are listed, along with sources-plus all the tools you'll need

Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius provides you with complete plans, instructions, parts lists, and sources for:

• Crushed berries solar cell
• Solar "death ray"
• Solar powered hot dog cooker
• Solar furnace
• Sun-powered refrigerator
• Camping shower, oven, and more
• Hot recipes for solar cooking
• Water purifier
• Flashlight
• Garden lights
• Solar vehicle
• Environmentally friendly robot
• Much more!

Practical Photovoltaics: Electricity from Solar Cells

Richard J. Komp

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Richard Komp: physicist, historian, and social engineer 5 out of 5 stars.
109 of 112 people found this review helpful.

Practical Photovoltaics is one of the finest, most comprehensive guides to the world of solar energy. The book starts with a beginer's course in solid state physical devices (which taught even an Electrical Engineer such as myself new things) and leads into the history of solar cell materials and procedures over the years. Next comes an in-depth discussion of the various types of materials, and how they are suited for different applications. He makes logical predictions about the future of some of these materials, and hints around at what new techniques scientists are starting to look at today.
In the appendix, he even describes how to assemble your own array of solar cells for those who wish to try a hands-on approach to learning.
Oh, yeah, one more thing: he has a decent list of recomended readings at the end of each chapter, allowing you to select topics that interest you to continue your reading.

Editorial Review:

Practical Photovoltaics, the now-classic reference on solar electricity, offers a unique combination of technical discussion and practical advice. Physicist, lecturer, and solar-home dweller Richard Komp explains the "how" and the "how-to" of PV, while providing valuable information on the industry, new developments, and the future. The book is a comprehensive guide to the theory and reality of solar electricity, as well as a detailed installation and maintenance manual. A well-illustrated appendix offers step-by-step instructions for constructing your own solar module, a creative approach to demystifying the technology. Presented in a clear, concise, and understandable style, Dr. Komp's contribution to PV literature has been called the "best single reference available," "the easiest and most complete education on photovoltaics," "one of the best basic books on PV," and "the best of the books."

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solar Power for your Home, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to)

Dan Ramsey, David Hughes

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

To be fair...(REVISED - I HAVE READ IT...same...2 stars) 5 out of 5 stars.
18 of 25 people found this review helpful.

Sept 08, 2008 Revision: After borrrowing this book from a friend to read it thoroughly, I still give it 2 stars BUT...
- the book is fairly thorough, concise, and comprehensive in its coverage of residential solar. It does cover nearly every introductory topic and question a home owner new to solar energy might ask.
- it goes into topics such as the history of solar, developments past present and future, batteries, Do-It-Yourself issues and concerns, inverter operation and general info, identifying and hiring a contractor, inspection issues, brief mention of the NEC (Natl Electric Code), federal and state solar incentives, and so much more.
And it does this in a very few short pages - don't let the 336 pages fool you. The meat of the book is actually in less than 200 pages of writing.

Given that it covers nearly ALL the topics in one book - in ONE PLACE - in a VERY QUICK read of 200+ pages - FOR LESS THAN $15.00, I actually give this 5 STARS for VALUE AND TIME well spent. (If you have ANY technical background, you'll cover the entire book in one night of reading.) But why 2 stars then? Well, if you are serious about installing solar, after reading this book you will come to realize that you still need to know so much more. Inevitably, you WILL have to talk to your municipal inspector, spend some time researching solar contractors, and quite a bit of time understanding the requirements of the incentives offered by your utility/city/state/federal govt - in all, that's at least another 10-24 hours of research, discussion, and reading. A book costing 2-3 times as much with much more detail might therefore be more beneficial. Or simply following the FREE links, as I originally espoused below, might still be the best approach since either way it is going to take time to understand it all - but only if you really are serious about installing residential solar. Otherwise, if you simply want to gain enough insights to evaluate solar, and determine its prospects for your home and situation, then this is a very good book for you.

BTW, this book is very similar to the other "Dummies" Book - "Solar Power Your Home For Dummies (For Dummies Series)".

ORIGINAL REVIEW COMMENTS ON MAY 1, 2008: To be fair, I have not read this book. Why 5 stars? The book is a for-profit venture by the author, so recovery of time, effort, & energy is important for revenue reasons. So why write this review? After spending nearly 12-18 hours perusing AMAZON's book list on solar energy and photovoltaic systems, I was frustrated! None of the reviews on any single book seemed to be convincing enough to make me want to buy. For instance, none of the reviews mention how the books address the National Electric Code, specific wiring and disconnect installation information, electrical and other safety hazards, inspection issues, etc. For a DIY'er, these books seemed a waste of time, never mind the fact that some reviewers insisted they actually DIY'ed just from the book. It then occurred to me that dozens of resources that I had used over the past 10 years - with the exception of 2007 due to extenuating circumstances - many resources are available for free from our fantastic .GOV, .ORG, and .EDU sites like Sandia Nat'l Labs, NREL, NMSU, and CA.GOV. Folks, before you start buying books on PV left & right, be smart and leverage what your fine tax dollars paid for! I have to admit - I believe it's just stupid searching for good PV technical, installation, and detailed literature on a For-Profit Bookstore when so much is already available online for Free. Folks, use your head - our government and academic labs pioneered this from federal tax dollars. Hence, much of it is public domain! (REPLACE all "?" with "." in the following website links.) nabcep?org nmsu?edu/~tdi/index?html photovoltaics?sandia?gov and energy?ca?gov - just to name a few! Of course, if you're just not Internet savvy, not an engineer/analytical A-type personality, and highly resourceful, plus you'd rather prefer to kill trees buying a book instead of leveraging online resources that are 100 times more than what's on AMAZON, and most likely don't have the wherewithal to DIY, go ahead. It will be amazing to see how many are simply duped by the thousands of new "get rich quick" companies and businessmen entering the renewable energy markets.

Editorial Review:

The perfect source for solar power—fully illustrated.

Solar Power (photovoltaics) is now a one-billion-dollar industry, and it’s poised to grow rapidly in the near future as more pressure is placed on limited fossil fuel resources and as advances in solar technology drive down the costs of residential solar systems. This book helps readers understand the basics of solar power and other renewable energy sources, explore whether solar power makes sense for them, what their options are, and what’s involved with installing various on and off-grid systems.

—Fully illustrated
—Covers every conceivable solar-power topic and concern, including updated information on the increasing number of state rebate and incentive programs

The Solar Electric House: Energy for the Environmentally-Responsive, Energy-Independent Home

Steven J. Strong

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Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Solar electricity is the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity by solar photovoltaic cells. It is a truly elegant means of producing electricity on site, allowing you to take control of your energy destiny and create your own lifestyle without concern for energy supply or environmental harm. No pollution, no by-products, no depletion of resources, these solid-state devices simply make electricity out of sunlight.

Solar electricity is the ideal source of power for an environmentally-responsive home where it’s a luxury residence or a rustic vacation retreat. With the right design, the sunlight that falls on your homesite will power your home. Your solar electric system can also be easily configured to provide on-site recharging of solar/electric vehicles allowing you to meet your transportation needs with renewable energy.

The Solar Electric House will tell you everything you need to know to decide if photovoltaics are for you, including:

Systems options and economics Stand-alone and utility interactive systems Descriptions of all key components How to determine your electricity requirements How to design a solar electric house

Photovoltaic Materials (Series on Properties of Semiconductor Materials , Vol 1)

Richard H. Bube

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Editorial Review:

Research and development of photovoltaic solar cells is playing an ever-larger practical role in energy supply and ecological conservation all over the world. Many materials science problems are encountered in understanding exising solar cells and the development of more efficient, less costly and more stable cells. This book offers an historical overview of this field, concentrating primarily on exciting development since the late 1980s. It describes the properties of the materials that play and important role in photovoltaic applications, the solar cell structures in which they are used, and the experimental and theoretical developments that have led to the most promising contenders.

Solar Energy: Fundamentals, Design, Modeling and Applications

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Editorial Review:

Provides detailed information on design and construction of solar energy devices, from collectors and storage systems to advanced photovoltaic systems. Contains 55 tables, a multitude of illustrations, and a complete list of references.

Nonimaging Fresnel Lenses: Design and Performance of Solar Concentrators (Springer Series in Optical Sciences)

Ralf Leutz, Akio Suzuki

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Editorial Review:

Offers a detailed and comprehensive account of the engineering of the world's first nonimaging Fresnel lens solar concentrator.

Amorphous and Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Modeling, Materials and Device Technology (Electronic Materials: Science & Technology)

Ruud E.I. Schropp, Miro Zeman

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Editorial Review:

Amorphous and Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Modeling, Materials and Device Technology provides a comprehensive overview of materials for application in thin film solar cells. It is the first book that compares experimental and computer-modeling methods, combining the state of the art in technology with the latest insights in device modeling. A wide range of experimental issues are explored, from materials and basic device physics of thin film solar cells to potential mass production facilities for solar panels. The modeling section presents an approach to integrated optical and electrical modeling of complete devices, including optical light trapping, and describes the physical materials parameters related to amorphous silicon that are crucial for successful modeling. The increasing importance of multijunction cells with different bandgap components for thin film silicon cells is reflected in a description of the latest breakthroughs acquired experimentally and by modeling. Concluding chapters describe what can be learned from combined modeling and device fabrication, indicating potential future methods of amorphous silicon solar cell optimization. This book will prove invaluable to researchers in the amorphous and microcrystalline silicon field and the physical and experimental approaches will be of interest to researchers investigating solar cells or other film devices for large area applications.

The Passive Solar Design and Construction Handbook

Inc. Steven Winter Associates

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Editorial Review:

Passive solar design refers to design strategies that minimize or eliminate the need to heat or cool a building mechanically. This sourcebook of details, drawings and case studies of passive solar buildings throughout the U.S. provides is a complete guide to passive solar design and construction.

Easy Guide To Solar Electric Part I: 3ED

Adi Pieper

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Book for Beginners 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

As a woman who is not too interested in charts and endless technical discussions I found Mr. Pieper's book refreshingly easy to read and to understand. His sense of humor with which he addresses most topics makes this book stand out from most books in this genre. It is nice to see that learning can be fun. I strongly recommend this book to any one who wants to learn the basics of solar energy be it to educate oneself or to purchase a solar system for her/his home. In that respect it is also worth looking at his second book with the same title, Part II
Thank you Adi Pieper!

Editorial Review:

This book is a simple and entertaining introduction to Solar Electric, a must for everyone who is interested in the Photovoltaic Process or who has plans to live in a solar home. It is also a statement for clean energy and for an environmentally healthy lifestyle. The reader will be introduced - through humor and analogies - to: The basic Electrical Terms, The Components of a Solar System, and to Live with Solar Energy. Practical tips, including names, will give the reader some idea about reliable products and manufacturers. Complete with index and charts, this third edition is expanded and updated to address the many changes in solar energy in the past few years, including the increase in Grid Tied Systems and incentive programs.